In sixth grade, we used a program called Connected Math 2. The five books we have used are Prime Time,Bits and Pieces I, Bits and Pieces II, Shapes and Designs, Covering and Surrounding, and we are working on How Likely is it? Each book has four to five units, and each unit has about four problems. We have notebooks to store papers for the problems that we do. Each problem takes up about one page. The notebooks are organized by classwork, homework, assesments, and reference. When we come across a word highlighted in yellow, we go to our vocabulary notebooks and write the word and definition. Our homework comes from ACE, or Applications, Connections, and Extensions. The unit opens up with questions that usually appear later in the problems. For example, some of these questions from Shapes and Designs are: in order to be a polygon, what properties does a shape need to have? Can you make more than one quadrilateral from four given side lengths? The NJCCCS (New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards) wants us to do lots of problem solving, and the unit that I chose, Shapes and Designs, deals with a lot of creative problem solving. Lots of the problems in this unit deal with major problem solving issues, and usually relate to geometry (area, circumference, angles, etc.).
Shapes and Designs was my favorite unit. I liked it because we measured angles with goniometers, or angle rulers, used shapes for lots of problems, and we even used polystrips. One of my personal favorites was measuring interior and exterior angles. I liked that because it was simple: take the given angle (interior or exterior) and subtract from 180°. For example, if I had an angle of 105°, I would subtract 105° from 180°, and I get 75°. Also, I liked studying about triangle’s interior angles, because the interior angles of a triangle always equal 180°. I liked doing the unit project, which was a power point about what we learned in the unit. One of the things that were in it was the formula to find the angle sum of a regular polygon: number of sides-2x180=angle sum. An example of this is finding the angle sum of a regular decagon: 10-2x180=1440º. To find the measure of each angle, you do the same thing, but after multiplying by 180, you divide by the number of sides. An example of this is finding the angle measure of a regular decagon: 10-2x180/10=144º.
This Connected Math Unit was a good idea. To me, this was a very interesting way to teach math. It taught you new things, but it was based off what we know. That helped, because it adds a little more knowledge and adds on to what we know. This unit really increased my understanding of math. It added to my knowledge and increased my intelligence with math. This was an unusual unit, but I loved it.
Citations: Unit problems and information from the book: Lappan, Glenda, James T. Fey, William M. Fitzgerald, Susan N. Friel, and Elizabeth Difanis Phillips. Shapes and Designs. Boston, Massachusetts: Pearson Prentice Hall, Inc., 2006. Print. Connected Math Logo "Logo Connected Math 2." Connected Mathematics 2. Web. 13 May 2011. http://www.phschool.com/cmp2/parent_guide/. Home
In sixth grade, we used a program called Connected Math 2. The five books we have used are Prime Time, Bits and Pieces I, Bits and Pieces II, Shapes and Designs, Covering and Surrounding, and we are working on How Likely is it? Each book has four to five units, and each unit has about four problems. We have notebooks to store papers for the problems that we do. Each problem takes up about one page. The notebooks are organized by classwork, homework, assesments, and reference. When we come across a word highlighted in yellow, we go to our vocabulary notebooks and write the word and definition. Our homework comes from ACE, or Applications, Connections, and Extensions. The unit opens up with questions that usually appear later in the problems. For example, some of these questions from Shapes and Designs are: in order to be a polygon, what properties does a shape need to have? Can you make more than one quadrilateral from four given side lengths? The NJCCCS (New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards) wants us to do lots of problem solving, and the unit that I chose, Shapes and Designs, deals with a lot of creative problem solving. Lots of the problems in this unit deal with major problem solving issues, and usually relate to geometry (area, circumference, angles, etc.).
Shapes and Designs was my favorite unit. I liked it because we measured angles with goniometers, or angle rulers, used shapes for lots of problems, and we even used polystrips. One of my personal favorites was measuring interior and exterior angles. I liked that because it was simple: take the given angle (interior or exterior) and subtract from 180°. For example, if I had an angle of 105°, I would subtract 105° from 180°, and I get 75°. Also, I liked studying about triangle’s interior angles, because the interior angles of a triangle always equal 180°. I liked doing the unit project, which was a power point about what we learned in the unit. One of the things that were in it was the formula to find the angle sum of a regular polygon: number of sides-2x180=angle sum. An example of this is finding the angle sum of a regular decagon: 10-2x180=1440º. To find the measure of each angle, you do the same thing, but after multiplying by 180, you divide by the number of sides. An example of this is finding the angle measure of a regular decagon: 10-2x180/10=144º.
This Connected Math Unit was a good idea. To me, this was a very interesting way to teach math. It taught you new things, but it was based off what we know. That helped, because it adds a little more knowledge and adds on to what we know. This unit really increased my understanding of math. It added to my knowledge and increased my intelligence with math. This was an unusual unit, but I loved it.
Citations:
Unit problems and information from the book:
Lappan, Glenda, James T. Fey, William M. Fitzgerald, Susan N. Friel, and Elizabeth Difanis Phillips. Shapes and Designs. Boston, Massachusetts: Pearson Prentice Hall, Inc., 2006. Print.
Connected Math Logo
"Logo Connected Math 2." Connected Mathematics 2. Web. 13 May 2011. http://www.phschool.com/cmp2/parent_guide/.
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